The Battle of Thermopylae

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the battle at Thermopylae. It examines briefly the internal and external characteristics of the Persian Empire and the basis for this Greco-Persian war. The paper then discusses the events that led to the outcome of the great battle at Thermopylae. It specifically describes the Spartan/Greek army's superior armor and weapons and clever use of topography.

From the Paper:

"In the end, the Spartan/Greek army's superior armor and weapons and clever use of topography to counterbalance the Persian's greater numbers helps to explain their victories on a military level. Unfortunately, Leonidas and his fellow Spartans were massacred after a local Greek revealed to Xerxes a secret route around the narrow pass, allowing the Persians to attack the Spartans from the front and the rear at the same time. At the conclusion of the battle, Leonidas and his 300 brave Spartans were all dead, along with most of the other Greek fighters. Amazingly, Leonidas and his men had managed to kill more than 20,000 Persians which demonstrated the superior fighting skills of the hoplites and their devotion to the ideal of political freedom more than one hundred years before the city of Athens reached its zenith as the foundation of Greek democratic ideals and individualism."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "Greco-Persian Wars: Battle of Thermopylae." HistoryNet.com. Internet. June 12, 2006. Retrieved from http://www.historynet.com/greco-persian-wars-battle-of-thermopylae.htm.
• Lendering, Jona. "Phalanx and Hoplites." Livius. Internet. 2005. Retrieved from http://www.livius.org/pha-phd/phalanx/phalanx.html.
• Martin, Thomas R. Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2004.

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